His Highness the Madman gave in again today.

It was a deserted alleyway, where two maids were roughly pressing down on a young girl. The girl was slender, but her back was straight.

Even when someone held his arms tightly, he refused to bow his head.

A middle-aged couple stood nearby, their faces full of meanness.

There was also a young man in brocade robes, looking smug and arrogant.

The woman pointed at the girl and angrily shouted, "Your brother became the top scholar in the imperial examination, bringing glory to our family. What use is that title to a woman like you?"

The man looked down at her with a cold laugh, glanced around to make sure no one was watching, and then whispered, "Sister, accept your fate. Wouldn't it be better for a woman like you to stay home and wait to get married?"

The girl's name was Shen Zhiwei, and she was being held down tightly.

She tilted her head back, looking at the smug, contorted face in front of her, and said, word by word, "You will never be able to replace me."

The man in brocade robes, named Shen Zhiyuan, was her half-brother. Hearing this, he scoffed, "Can't replace me? The name on the imperial examination essay has already been changed, and I've taken care of the examiners. What do you have to compete with me with?"

Is everything arranged?

A fool who defies the law.

Shen Zhiwei didn't speak again, but lowered her eyelashes and pursed her lips into a very faint smile, with a hint of mockery.

Rong Xuanci stood at the alley entrance, his figure hidden in the shadows, clearly seeing the mocking curve of her lips.

"Take her away quickly, don't let anyone see her." Shen Zhiyuan waved his hand, his eyes turning sinister. "Keep a close eye on her these next few days. Once everything settles down, find someone to marry her off immediately."

Shen Zhiwei shook off the two servants, dusted off her rumpled sleeves, straightened her back, and walked past Shen Zhiyuan without even glancing at him.

Shen Zhiyuan's face turned ashen from her attitude. He shouted at her retreating back, "You'd better know your place, or don't blame me for disregarding our sibling relationship!"

Shen Zhiwei didn't stop walking and went straight out of the alley.

When she reached the alley entrance, Rong Xuanci stopped trying to hide and stepped aside.

As Shen Zhiwei walked past him, she paused for a moment, as if she sensed someone watching her, and turned her head to glance at him.

Eyes facing each other.

Rong Xuanci saw her face clearly.

The girl had delicate features and was very beautiful, but her jawline was extremely taut, making her look slightly disheveled, and a burning fire blazed in her eyes.

She glanced at him briefly, then looked away and quickly left.

The group of people behind her quickly caught up with her and took her into a carriage.

Rong Xuanci stood there, watching the carriage disappear at the end of the long street, and then, as if possessed, followed it.

For some reason, he really wanted to see what she would do.

Should we give up now and let our fame and fortune be snatched away, or... do we have other plans?

After Shen Zhiwei was brought back to the Shen family, she was thrown directly into the secluded woodshed in the backyard.

The door was locked from the outside, and four burly servants stood outside.

The woodshed was damp and cold, with piles of firewood half a person's height in the corner.

Rong Xuanci followed her all the way to the outside of the woodshed and saw Shen Zhiwei sitting on the ground with her back against the wall, showing no sign of panic.

It seems the little girl had a backup plan all along.

Rong Xuanci subconsciously curled his lips, but realizing he was actually smiling, he immediately pursed his lips and resumed his indifferent demeanor.

Shen Zhiwei was completely unaware that she was being "targeted".

Through the crack in the window, Rong Xuanci saw her raise her hand and touch the inside of her sleeve, where there seemed to be a hidden pocket, and he wondered what was inside.

The sky gradually darkened.

At three quarters past 7 PM, the sound of servants changing shifts could be heard outside. The footsteps were chaotic for a while, then returned to silence.

At midnight, Shen Zhiwei heard a very faint bird call coming from afar, three long and two short.

coming.

Shen Zhiwei quickly got up and walked to the window, looking out through the gaps in the wooden railing.

Two dark figures, like night owls, vaulted over the courtyard wall and landed silently.

One of the tall, dark figures walked in front, threw a handful of powder at them, and all four servants went limp.

Another petite woman followed closely behind, rushing to the door of the woodshed in two strides. She touched the lock, pulled a silver hairpin from her hair, and with just a couple of flicks, the lock clicked open.

The door opened a crack, and Shen Zhiwei slipped out.

The petite, dark figure grabbed her hand: "They didn't do anything to you, did they?"

"No, it's just locked up." Shen Zhiwei shook her head. "I've prepared everything."

The tall, dark figure dragged the unconscious servant to a corner and asked in a low voice, "What do you plan to do?"

Shen Zhiwei took out several pre-written letters from her bosom and handed them to the petite figure in black: "These are the drafts of my essays for the imperial examination, as well as the handwritten comments from the chief examiner, Lord Wen, before the exam. She praised me in the examination hall that day, and her handwriting cannot be faked."

The petite figure in black took it, glanced at it by the moonlight, and nodded: "Lord Wen is the first female official in our Great Chen Kingdom, and is the most upright and incorruptible. As long as she sees these things, she will definitely investigate them to the end."

"But that's not enough." Shen Zhiwei's gaze was calm: "The examination papers were copied in a sealed envelope. Even if Lord Wen recognizes the handwriting, Shen Zhiyuan can still insist that he wrote them himself, only that the style is similar."

"What should we do then?"

"Each exam paper in the examination room had a code at the beginning, which was a number marked by the examiner. Each candidate's number was different, and the number was also copied over when transcribing. I carefully wrote down my number that day, but Shen Zhiyuan did not know it."

"You mean...?"

"As long as Lord Wen retrieves the original examination papers and verifies whether the number I gave her matches the number on the paper, it will be clear at a glance."

Shen Zhiwei lowered her voice: "At the same time, I also prepared another letter for the deputy examiner, Lord Lu. He stood beside me and glanced at me a few times when he was patrolling the venue that day, and he also remembered my handwriting. I sent out these two letters together. With both examiners investigating at the same time, Shen Zhiyuan couldn't suppress it."

"Zhiwei, you're really something! I'll deliver the message first thing tomorrow morning."

"There was no other way. Three days before the results of the palace examination were announced, I had already anticipated the worst outcome. You all know what kind of people my stepmother and brother are. Once the honor is bestowed upon me, those two will never let it go."

After saying that, Shen Zhiwei grabbed the sleeve of the dark figure and instructed again, "Shen Zhiyuan also has people among the examiners. If he intercepts the letter in advance, we will have wasted our time. We must be careful."

The two figures in dark clothes exchanged a glance and nodded solemnly: "Don't worry, his men can't stop us."

The three discussed the details for a while longer, finalizing everything, before the two shadowy figures took advantage of the darkness to scale the wall and leave.

Shen Zhiwei retreated to the woodshed, and the door was locked again, as if nothing had ever happened.

On the old locust tree outside the woodshed, Rong Xuanci leaned against the branches with his arms crossed, watching everything from beginning to end.

His gaze was fixed on the thin profile in the woodshed, his fingertips rubbed against his sleeve, and the corners of his lips unconsciously curved up again.

After daybreak, the Shen family was at peace.

Shen Zhiyuan was having breakfast in the front hall when he heard his mother rambling on about "marrying that girl off to a remote neighboring county once things have calmed down." He responded casually, in a rather good mood.

At noon, his accomplice among the examiners hurriedly handed him a letter.

The letter read: A letter was delivered to the Lu residence this morning. The contents are unknown, but after reading it, Lord Lu immediately went to the Grand Secretary's residence and did not come out for about half an hour.

Shen Zhiyuan's face instantly darkened.

"Why would someone suddenly send a message at this critical juncture?"

He jumped to his feet, his face ashen. "It must have been that damned girl! That traitor! How dare she resort to underhanded tactics? Does she want to kill our whole family?"

Master Shen was also startled by this turn of events and stood up, saying, "Wasn't she locked up by you? She's still in the woodshed, how could she possibly send a message?"

Shen Zhiyuan paced back and forth, growing increasingly panicked: "She definitely has accomplices...it was all planned long ago, that bitch!"

He pushed aside the chair, rushed to the woodshed in the backyard, opened the door, and saw Shen Zhiwei sitting in the corner. She looked up at him and smiled.

That smile was gentle, yet it sent a chill down Shen Zhiyuan's spine.

"Did you do it?" He squatted down, staring intently at her face. "How could you be so vicious? All I did was steal your honor, and you tried to kill me? I'm your own brother!"

"My own brother?"

Shen Zhiwei said sarcastically, "I'm already locked up here by you, how else could I possibly harm you?"

Shen Zhiyuan stared at her for a long time, unsure whether he believed her or not, then stood up and ordered the servants behind him, "Keep a close eye on her."

As he turned away, the panic in his eyes was gradually replaced by ruthlessness.

Since she's so heartless, then don't blame her brother for being unjust.

As evening fell, the servants brought Shen Zhiwei her meal as usual: two dry steamed buns and a bowl of cold water.

Shen Zhiwei had no suspicions and fell into a deep sleep shortly after finishing her meal.

Shen Zhiyuan personally led a group of people to lift her onto an inconspicuous blue cloth carriage, which drove out of the back gate of the Shen family under the cover of dusk and headed towards the north gate of the city.

As the carriage drove along the long street, Rong Xuanci looked down from the second-floor window of the teahouse and immediately recognized the sleeping figure inside.

His eyes suddenly turned cold, and he vanished from the spot in a flash.

The carriage exited the north gate and turned onto a secluded mountain road.

Suddenly, the driver felt a gust of wind, followed by a numbness in the back of his neck, and he collapsed onto the carriage shaft.

The horse neighed in fright, but was firmly held down by a slender hand.

Rong Xuanci lifted the carriage curtain, and Shen Zhiwei was curled up inside, her face flushed an abnormally, her breathing even, clearly having been drugged.

He checked her pulse and, confirming it was just a common sleeping potion and nothing serious, breathed a sigh of relief.

Rong Xuanci lowered the carriage curtain again, raised his hand to create an invisible barrier outside the carriage, then picked up the coachman with one hand and threw him into the roadside bushes. He then sat on the carriage shaft, turned the carriage around, and returned to the back gate of the Shen family without anyone noticing.

He carried Shen Zhiwei over the backyard wall, pushed open the door of the woodshed, and gently placed her back in the corner covered with straw.

After doing all this, he raised his hand and brushed it across her forehead, transferring a gentle spiritual energy to help neutralize the remaining sleeping potion in her body.

Shen Zhiwei's brows relaxed, and her breathing became much more even.

Rong Xuanci returned the person and left without doing anything else, so as not to disrupt her original plan.

It was dawn the next day.

Early in the morning, the Dali Temple sent people to the Shen residence.

Shen Zhiyuan originally thought that Shen Zhiwei had been sent away and that he could not find Shen Zhiwei. He thought that if he asked someone to take good care of her, this case of "impersonation" could be suppressed.

But he never expected that the people from the Dali Temple would arrive so quickly, and that they would even bring an imperial edict.

"Shen Zhiyuan, you are suspected of cheating in the imperial examinations and impersonating someone else. Arrest you immediately!"

Shen Zhiyuan's face turned ashen, his legs went weak, and he almost knelt down.

He couldn't understand why the Dali Temple had come to arrest the person directly when the person had already been sent away and no one had gone to the court to testify.

However, he soon understood.

Because he saw Shen Zhiwei, who had actually come with people from the Dali Temple.

That bitch!

"Sir, I am innocent..."

Shen Zhiyuan tried to argue, but the Dali Temple handled the case swiftly and decisively, with irrefutable evidence, giving him no chance to speak.

"Shen Zhiyuan, you have impersonated someone else. According to the laws of Dachen, you are stripped of your academic titles, exiled three thousand miles away, and will never be allowed to hold office again."

Shen Zhiyuan collapsed to the ground, his face ashen.

And none of the examiners he bribed escaped.

All officials involved in the case were arrested and taken to the Dali Temple for thorough investigation.

The news caused a stir in both the government and the public.

His Majesty was furious and personally issued an edict to remove the three examiners from their posts and exile them to the frontier, while all other involved personnel were to be severely punished.

Shen Zhiwei, relying on his true talent and learning, amazed everyone with his essay in the imperial examination and was personally selected by the emperor as the top scholar.

Thus, the first female scholar to achieve the highest rank in the imperial examinations since the founding of the Great Chen Dynasty was born.

On the throne, Feng Xingyu looked at the slender yet upright figure below and said loudly, "Shen Zhiwei, you are exceptionally talented and have an upright character. Today, I hereby appoint you as the first female scholar of the Great Chen Dynasty, bestow upon you a scarlet official robe, and appoint you to a position in the Hanlin Academy."

Shen Zhiwei kowtowed to express his gratitude, his voice clear and crisp: "Your subject obeys the decree."

The entire court was completely silent.

Some were shocked, some were amazed, and some were secretly alarmed.

First came Lady Wen, the first female strategist, then came Lady Shen, the first female scholar.

Women are just as capable as men; they should not be underestimated.

Half a month later, a banquet was held in the palace.

Mo Sangyu specially organized this palace banquet, ostensibly to celebrate the new top scholar's entry into officialdom, but in reality, he wanted to meet this legendary woman.

Of course, the most important point is that someone finally couldn't resist and took the initiative to "beg" for this banquet.

The banquet was held in the pavilion in the Imperial Garden. Feng Xingyu and Mo Sangyu sat in the main seats, while Rong Xuanci sat in the side seats.

She was still dressed in a plain white robe, with exquisite features and a cool, aloof demeanor.

Shen Zhiwei changed into a scarlet official robe, her long hair tied up, and the disheveled look from that day was gone, replaced by composure and sharpness.

As she took her seat and bowed, her gaze swept over everyone present, pausing slightly when she saw Rong Xuanci.

She recognized him.

They met at the alley entrance that day.

This man is so outstanding that you can remember him at first glance.

Shen Zhiwei lowered her eyes, and after sitting down, she glanced at him again while pouring tea.

Rong Xuanci was holding a teacup when he noticed her gaze and turned his head to meet hers.

Shen Zhiwei did not dodge. She saw him slightly smile and tilt his teacup towards her, as if they were clinking cups in the air.

My heart skipped a beat.

She quickly looked away and drank her tea as if nothing had happened.

During the banquet, Shen Zhiwei handled herself appropriately, neither humble nor arrogant. Occasionally, when she smiled, her eyes curved, and she shed the aloofness and coldness of that day, gaining a touch of girlish liveliness.

Rong Xuanci sat quietly to the side, his gaze occasionally falling on her, neither intense nor indifferent.

The banquet ended.

Shen Zhiwei got up to take her leave. When she reached the exit of the waterside pavilion, Rong Xuanci also stood up at some point and happened to be standing next to her.

Neither of them spoke, and they walked a dozen steps along the corridor.

Shen Zhiwei suddenly turned to look at him, her tone slightly probing: "That night, you saved me?"

She actually knew?

Rong Xuanci raised an eyebrow; this was somewhat unexpected.

Seeing his silence, Shen Zhiwei became even more certain.

That night, she smelled a faint, cool fragrance, exactly the same as the man's scent.

Although she didn't know why he had saved her, she still sincerely said, "Thank you."

Rong Xuanci looked down at her: "How do you plan to thank me?"

Shen Zhiwei was taken aback.

"Just kidding, it's nothing, don't worry about it."

"How can this be a small matter?"

Shen Zhiwei snapped out of her daze, and when she smiled, the corners of her eyes lifted slightly. She looked like a red plum blossom that suddenly bloomed in winter, so vibrant that it was impossible to look away.

As Rong Xuanci looked at her, a crack silently appeared in the shell of ice that had been frozen over for many years in his heart.

"My name is Shen Zhiwei."

She extended her hand, palm up: "What's your name?"

Rong Xuanci looked down at the hand with its distinct knuckles, hesitated for a moment, and then gently reached out and grasped it.

Warm to the touch, soft to the touch.

"Rong Xuanci".

Shen Zhiwei nodded, withdrew her hand, turned and walked towards the palace gate. After taking two steps, she turned back and winked at him: "Next time we meet, I'll treat you to a drink."

Rong Xuanci: "Okay."